The Returning Stray Cat
by Dairu
Summary: Train, Sven and Eve are sent out on a bounty hunt for a escapee. It seems simple enough but as they continue, it gets way too dangerous to handle. Chimeras, evil scientists, and the return of the chronos numbers, it'll keep you in your seats till the end!
1. Chapter 1

**The Returning Stray Cat  
>Chapter 1<strong>

The brown haired man yawned. He had just woken up from a large bump on the road. Slowly he opened his eyes and gazed at his two companions from his view in the back seat. A man wearing a hat and formal suit sat in the front seat, driving. Beside him was a younger girl with long blond hair. Her eyes stayed in the exact position, staring straight in front of her, not saying one word. Just like the younger woman, everyone was quiet until it was disturbed by a growl.

"I'm starving…" Train started to whine. "Hey Sven! When are we gonna stop and get something to eat?" Train spoken in a loud voice even though the one he was talking to was only a foot away.

The green haired, formal man peered into the mirror at train in the back. He looked a little annoyed but you could tell that this was not new to him. Eve, the blond haired girl, still looked forward.

"We're almost to the next stop. Annette will have something for you." He said, facial expression beginning to change.

"Good." Train answered after a pause. "Man, I hope she has fish…" He put his hands behind his head and turned to look out the side window. They were in some kind of desert region which puzzled the man at first for they were in civilization just before he dozed off. He looked further down the road and saw some small shapes of what he thought to be a town.

After a few more moments of silence, the group reached the town. Train quickly got out and scoped for a restaurant or anywhere he could get something to eat. When Sven and Eve got out of the car, Train was already into a building marked "Bar and Grill". They both hurried after him.

The place was in a western theme, matching the outer region. There were no people inside; only a somewhat older woman at the counter. Sven walked up to the woman along with Eve and Train just sat eagerly at a table.

"Hey Annette, has there been any news on Rinslet? I heard that she left on a job." All the while Sven was talking; he could hear the sound of Train complaining about food.

"Annette! I'll take a glass of milk and anything you got to eat! Hello? C'mon! I'm starving…" He teased. Annette got up and started to walk into the back room while replying to Sven.

"She left just this morning. I didn't get any details about it but she said not to worry and that she would return soon –O H! I almost forgot". Annette pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket in her apron. After unfolding it, she slid it across the counter towards Sven. She also got a glass of milk and placed it on the table in which train sat at while Sven looked at the paper.

It was a bounty notice with a reward of one billion yen. Sven nearly fell over having looked at it. Even so, he skimmed through the wanted sign. It was for a man named Caleb Yakuzo. The picture at the top showed a man in his mid forties who wore glasses and a white coat. In the description, Caleb had apparently done medical transmutations on his former assistants and coworkers. After being found out, the police have been on his tail for months but now his location is unknown. He was last spotted in Kimiko city, about a few miles ahead. Sven read on, his eyes became less and less focus until he noticed the warmth on his neck. He immediately turned to his side and saw a cat peer over his shoulder.

"Haha, Annette you always save the best for us!"

"Do you think we can take on this one, Train? His bounty has to be high for some reason."

Train turned his head away from the paper and Met Sven's gaze. His expression was calm and reassuring.

"Of course we can! After all, you have me and the princess here with you. Together we're unbeatable!" Eve looked at Sven and nodded. A smile appeared on Sven's once worried face.

"Heh… Alright then. To Kimiko city is."


	2. Chapter 2

Kimiko city wasn't too far away but it wasn't close enough to walk so they got into the car. Their vehicle was a small, blue truck, worn and faded from its years. The paint was a dull color, irreplaceable because of its oldness. It didn't have "great" mileage and could only hold four people, two in the front and two in the back, but it got the group around.

This time Train was in the front and Eve was behind him. Sven as always was driving. Though only for a few minutes, the drive was surprisingly quiet. Passing a sign that said "Kimiko city", Sven shifted in his seat.

When they actually made it to the town, Sven noticed that almost everything was closed or out of business, a ghost town. No one was roaming the streets except for them. Soon they spotted an old tavern open. Sven put his hand to his pocket, making sure that the poster was still there, and entered inside.

About two or three men were seated at the nearby tables. Other than that no one appeared to be in the room. A man came out of the side room to see who had come. He was shining a glass with a white towel as he walked over to the front counter.

"Can I help you? You're not from around here are you? New folks don't just wander in this town anymore." The man said, looking slowly at each new arrival in the bar.

Sven looked at him as he walked once the counter. Eve and Train, on the other hand, examined their surroundings when walking up with Sven. When at the counter, Sven pulled out the piece of paper. He slid it on the table top towards the man.

"Yes, we're looking for this man…" He pointed to the picture on the poster. "Do you know where he might be? Last anyone heard, he was terrorizing this city."

The look on the bartender was startling, filled with fear. As Sven looked up for a response, he noticed the look on his face which he considered a yes. He knew very well who Caleb was, was what he implied.

"Hello?" Sven said to the silent man before him. The man's head turned towards the ground, his eyes not visible.

"…Yeah." He finally said. "Just not long ago, a lot of the children who reside in the city were taken by him."

'Children? He kidnaps children? For what cause?' Sven thought confusingly.

"Every few days, one child just… disappears. Soon after a few weeks or so, people stopped coming out of their homes altogether…"

After some thought about the situation, Sven finally started to reply to the man's statement.

"Hmm… Do you remember where he was last spotted?" the man's head immediately shot up, frantically.

"Don't go there! He isn't just take children! Anyone get his hands on he will!"

Sven jumped back a little at his outburst. The somewhat scrawny man apologized for the sudden yelling. The few men that were there at the tables had quietly left shortly after their arrival so they were alone.

"Don't worry. We'll get them back." Train said seated at a table with his chair leaned back halfway off the ground.

The bartender looked at Train who started to grin. In doing so, it made himself grin as well. "Thank you"

They left the tavern with the man sounding assured in Train, Eve and Sven. They also figured out where Caleb will turn up next. He had been appearing at each house in a row, stealing one of the residents. The next victim, if not mistaken, would be the fourth house down Hayousu Street. Train placed a hand on Hades, strapped to his right leg. They were ready.

Train looked around frantically from his spot on the top of a nearby house. I was late and night and there was no sign of Caleb. Standing next to him was Eve. Sven was on the ground, hiding in an alley between two houses, the target and the previously attacked house. Sven looked up at the starry sky, the moon nowhere to be seen. He closed his eyes and he looked at his watch, 11:17 p.m.

"Hey Train!" Sven shouted out at the cat seated on the edge of the roof. "We've been waiting for two hours. I don't think he's gonna-! "

Just as Sven was about to wrap up his suggestion, a gust of air blew over them, strong enough to make Sven cling onto the side of the building. He took one hand off the wall and placed it over his eyes so his hair didn't get in the way of his eyesight. Squinting, he saw small dots in the distance get bigger, and bigger.


	3. Chapter 3

Train, who desperately tried to keep his balance, rose and also looked at the dots. By now, they showed their true appearance as they came closer.

They were people, children with wings, either black or white. Also, they had feet of an eagle, with talons and everything. When they flapped their wings, it gave off a humming sound like bees. Their faces looked distorted, filled with agony and hopelessness. It was hard to believe that their minds were conscious at all.

"Chimera." Eve said, staring at the creatures. Train turned and looked at Eve.

"Chimera? What the hell are those?" He said, confused.

"Chimera are transmutations of both human and animal." Eve stated, monotonously.

Just as she said that, a chimera swooped down and pushed Train back into a nearby building, breaking the wall. A large cloud of debris flew into the air.

"Train!" Sven shouted out, seeing what had happened. Then, he heard a different sound coming from behind him, a growl. He immediately turned around and saw a bunch of half leopard, half human chimera in front of him. The creatures still had their human stature except for a tail, leopard patterned skin, cat ears, and cat eyes.

The leopards extracted their claws and lunged out at Sven. He quickly pulled his suitcase in front of his body to block one of the blows; the others made small scratches on his skin, tearing his clothes.

Eve generated wings and sprang out at the flying chimeras. It was a neat trick that she was born with. Because of her being a bio-weapon, she was able to turn into anything her mind tells it too. She dodged their claws and hit them with a large hammer that formed from her hair. Just as the last chimera that was attacked slammed into the ground, she felt the piercing pain of claws tearing her back and immediately fell from the sky. Though she had waves of pain running through her body, she managed to open her eyes and look at her attacker, a man riding a much larger chimera.  
>Caleb Yakuzo.<p>

"Hmm… You'll be a great addition to my army." Caleb said to Eve who had just made impact on the terrain below. He swooped down to the motionless girl and reached out with his boney hand.

Just then, a burst of pain sharply hit his right shoulder, followed by the sound of gunfire. The hand that once reached for Eve redirected itself and attached to his own shoulder instantly. Caleb forgot about the girl and turned towards the noise.

Train stood above him with Hades, his invincible gun, outstretched in his hand.

"Urgh...Why you-" Caleb said scratchy from pain. Humming came out of his mouth and the chimera began to retreat. The leopards jumped onto the backs of the flying chimeras and flew off towards the north, following their leader. Luckily, Sven was able to one of the leopard-chimera by trapping it in a net that shot out from his suitcase. At first, the monster was frantic, but then it calmed down after a few minutes, knowing that it was pointless.

Train held onto the net and Sven rushed over to Eve.

"Eve!" He shouted and wrapped her in his arms. "Stay with me Eve…" Just like that, she fell unconscious.  
><strong><br>**"Sven," Train said bluntly. "You take Eve back to Annette's place. I'm going to follow this thing back to Caleb's hideout."

"Wait! It's too dangerous by yourself!" Sven wasn't sure if he was heard because Train had already released the creature and taken off half way through his response. Either way, he looked back at the poor girl, knowing he'd better hurry.

It was about morning when Sven arrived back at Annette's. Luckily the wound wasn't as deep as they thought. Within a few days, she should be able to travel again but the question was, would Sven let her? He sat by her side as she laid there peacefully in sleep. Annette peer in the room every once and a while but he would always be in the same spot as he was the last time.

Train's legs were on fire. He was used to running at top speed but not for this long. If he stopped, the chimera would surely get away and out of sight. He couldn't give up now. Even if he did, he wasn't really sure where he was anymore. There was nothing around him except for sand. Breathing hard, he persevered and continued to follow the creature. He was starting to wonder if it really had a destination or if it was smart enough to just keep him busy. Just when he thought about resting and giving up on the beast, a castle came into view, no doubt about it being the scientist's hideout.

"Jackpot."


	4. Chapter 4

The afternoon sun blazed brightly through the window of Annette's house. Sven sat in a chair, near the bed that Eve was resting in. It's been almost 11 hours and still Eve had not awakened. He was slouched over when Annette entered in to check up on them. She walked over the Sven and smiled. She left and in a few seconds, came back with another blanket and wrapped him with it.

"Poor guy… He must be so worried." She exchanged Eve's washcloth with a new one and then went out tend to any customers.

The hideout resembled a medieval castle. Its walls were made of colourless stone and looked crumbled with age. Though only gazing at it from the back, Train could tell that there was only one entrance, the front.

"How cliché…" He said to himself. Then he began to scale the walls. The front door was obviously out of the question. He climbed up with ease, little chips of stone falling off the wall with each step. When he reached the top, he fired off a dozen shots in the blink of an eye and a hole appeared in the roof. He jumped in.

He found himself in a hallway and quickly began his search. With lightning speed, he opened each and every door along the path. Bedroom, storage, library, nothing, office, storage. Each room had no one.

Working his way downwards, he now found himself on the main floor. The large, bolted, steel doors marked the entrance. Aside from the stairs leading to the above floors, there appeared to be but one door.

He walked over to it cautiously yet opened it quickly. There was yet another staircase leading down eluded in shadows. With his right hand, he armed himself with Hades and started down the steps.

Eve's eyes slowly opened. The first things her eyes focused onto were the dim lights above. Many things popped into her head like where she was or what she was doing there. Having turned to her side, she saw a man sleeping beside her.

"Sven…?" she mumbled, still tired. All the memories of the night before flashed by in her head. She instantly sat up, wincing in pain from the wound on her back.

Sven awoke as well and, blinking a few times, noticed that Eve was alive. He jumped from the chair and hugged her, calling out her name.

"Where's Train?" Eve asked.

"He hasn't come back yet. He went after Caleb right after he escaped- Anyways, how are you? Do you feel any better?"

"Yes." Eve said, getting up. "Let's go."

"Hold on, Eve. You shouldn't be up yet, even if you feel alright." He reached out and grabbed Eve's arm.

"You have nothing to worry about. The wound was only a minor injury and even so, with my body it's already healed. She bent forward and backwards to demonstrate.

"Hey, where are you going?" Annette called out to the two rushing out of the house. Eve was already out the door when Sven quickly explained.

He climbed into the truck and sat in the driver's seat. He closed the door and sat still before talking to Eve who had been waiting patiently in the passenger's seat.

"I guess I really can't stop you now can I?" Sven laughed softly to himself. "Alright let's go.

Eve nodded as Sven started the car.


	5. Chapter 5

Another door awaited Train at the end of the stairs. He placed a hand on the door knob and felt warmth. He cautiously leaned against the wall and opened it. When nothing happened, he peered inside and started to walk.

The room was much bigger than any of the others he had came across. But in perspective, there was barely any free space. All along the four walls were cages and experimental water containers. What was even more disturbing was that there were figures inside them all. Thousands of chimeras were crouched in the jails, crying out high pitched roars and screams. Some were still human, most likely waiting to by mutated. There were also surgical tables and test tubes for chemical combinations. The whole place looked like the home of a mad scientist.

Train walked quickly to one of the human children. "Hey, are you alright?" The girl stared up at him with dead eyes, not saying a word. "I'm gonna get you out of here, don't move. He fired a bullet at the simple lock and it busted open. She just stared as Train open the door and reached out to her. "It's alright, your safe now."

Instantly, she sprouted fangs and lunged at Train. He was totally off guard by its sudden change, giving it the chance to slash into his stomach. The blow forced Train to the ground, though to chimera did not let up. He grasped its arms to stop the frantic claws from piercing him. Losing the ability to hold out anymore, he kicked the beast away from him and into some nearby medical equipment.

The door slammed shut and then he heard a whistle. The chimera rushed over to the source of the noise and then, on command, it faded into nothingness.

"You sure are brave coming here all alone. Such carelessness can only be expected from a stray cat, never depending on others…"  
>Train spun around and shot out with his pistol. The bullet made a 'cling' sound as it hit against the door and bounced off, cracking one of the experimental water containers. Nothing. Caleb's laughter echoed throughout the closed off room, followed by the groans and screams of the victims.<p>

"Tsk." The game of hide-and-seek made Train aggravated. The chimeras grew louder and louder until the laughter faded into all the other sounds

The cages clicked and the noise slowed to a stop.

"I think my pets would like to play this game too. See, it's been a while since they had a toy to play with. Normally I would have liked to use you for research but I think they deserve a little treat every now and again."

Caleb reappeared in the other side of the room. Train turned towards him and aimed at the man. Before he pulled the trigger, a chimera was let loose and lunged at him, forcing his bullet to take an unexpected path to the ceiling. 

Fending the monster off with his arm, Hades fell to the floor. Train looked at the creature in disbelief.

"How do you like my latest creation? I used DNA from you little friend's blood to make her and I must say, I've never seen anything quite like it. Simply remarkable. It's almost an exact duplicate, you know."

A purple aura started to form around Caleb. He mouthed words with no sound. On cue, the creature's hair molded itself into a large hammer. It swung down at Train, the sound of two pieces of metal clashing together rung throughout the room. An even larger shield had separated the two. Train quickly turned around to see another little blonde haired girl standing near the only door.


End file.
